Blackleg-vaccine and process of making same.



UNITED STATES Patented December 27, 1904.

PATENT OEEicE.

BLACKLEG-VACCINE AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 778,667, dated December27, 1904.

Application filed February 6, 1902. Serial No. 92,827.

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIJAH MARK HOUGH- 'roN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blackleg-Vaccine and Processes of Making the Same, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to improved vaccine for blackleg and the processof making the same, all as more fully hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In making myblackleg-vaccine I preferably proceed as follows:

I take the muscles from the affected areas of a heifer having died fromblackleg and chop or grind the same--such, for instance, as in theordinary meatchopper-and then dry the same, for instance, by spreading athin layer and drying at a temperature at, say, 32 to 35 centigrade.lVhen dried, this muscle tissue is then powdered or ground by anysuitable apparatus. I next attenuate the virus, and to do this I mix thepowdered muscles or virus with distilled water say about five hundredcubic centimeters of distilled waterto two hundred and fifty grams ofthe powdered virus. This mixtureI spread in small dishes and attenuatefor about six hours at from 80 to 100 centigrade, according to thestrength of virus desired. The attenuated virus is then powdered andsifted, preferably through silk cloth. The finer particles which siftthrough the cloth are next mixed with a protein, preferably normal cowserum-that is, the serum part of the blood of a normal unvaccinatedcowwhich is in the form of a dried powder. To do this, I dissolve fivegrams of dried normal cow serum in twenty-five cubic centimeters ofdistilled water and add to this twelve grams of the powdered andattenuated virus and make a mass as quickly as possible. This mass isthen formed into pills in any desired manner, and these pills are thenheated at from to centigrade and then at an attenuating temperature offrom to 100 centigrade for two hours longer, when they are ready foruse. The pills are used by forcing them beneath the skin of the animalby any suitable instrument in any known and desired manner.

In place of using the normal cow serum as an excipient I may use othersubstances, such as the white of eggs. for instance, or even gelatin,these all coming under, as I understand it, the general term protein.

Instead of powdering and sifting dry through silk cloth before the cowserum is added, as hereinbefore set forth, I may obtain the finerparticles from the coarser particles by any other known method ofseparation. For instance, I may mix the powdered virus with water andthen separate by filtration or straining through suitable medium, suchas cotton cloth. Of course in that case the fluid will have to beseparated from the powdered material by sedimentation, evaporation, orfiltration before the cow serum is added.

I find that the cow serum is by far the most satisfactory excipientwhich can be used satisfactorily with the virus.

The second heating, which may be carried out after the virus is packedin the bottles ready for sale, is for the purpose of giving the productthe desired strength, since during the process of manufacture, owing tothe presence of moisture, the virulence of the virus is liable to haveincreased.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. The herein-described process of makingblackleg-vaccine, which consists in powdering the dried muscles obtainedfrom an animal infected with blackleg, attenuating the virus by heat,separating the liner particles from the coarser, mixing said finerparticles with a protein substance and subjecting the weakened virus toa second heating and dried.

2. A dry attenuated vaccine containing the finer particles of muscles ofinfected animals mixed with normal serum and dried.

3. A dry attenuated vaccine containing the finer particles of muscles ofinfected animals mixed with a normal cow serum and dried.

4:. Aheat-attenuated vaccine containing the finer particles of musclesof animals infected with blackleg mixed with normal serum and dried.

5. A heat-attenuated vaccine containing the finer particles of musclesof animals infected with blackleg mixed with normal coW serum and dried.

6. The herein-described blackleg-vaccine consisting of a productobtained from the dry muscles of an animal infected with blackleg, whichproduct has been heat-attenuated and mixed with normal cow serum; theproduct being again attenuated and caused to be of IO known and uniformverity and dried.

7. The herein-described process of making blackleg-vaccine, whichconsists in powdering the dry muscles obtained from an animal infectedwith blackleg, attenuating the Virus and separating the finer particlesfrom the coarser, mixing said finer particles with a protein substanceand finally subjecting the weakened virus to a second attenuation anddried. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in; presence of twowitnesses.

ELLTAH MARK HOUGHTON. Witnesses:

M. B. ODOGHERTY, H. C. SMITH.

